


We Found Him

by StatueOfLuberty



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Anxiety, Best Friends, Coffee Shops, Curtis is really supportive in this, Depression, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Future Fic, Keith (Voltron) Has Abandonment Issues, M/M, Mentions of PTSD, Near Future, PLEASE READ THE NOTES AT THE BEGINNING, POV Multiple, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, References to Depression, Shiro (Voltron) Has PTSD - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Slow Burn, Understanding Curtis, allura is alive, blond Keith, but it's not that kind of AU, mentions of abandonment issues, mentions of adam
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-01
Updated: 2019-04-01
Packaged: 2019-12-27 02:52:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18295379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StatueOfLuberty/pseuds/StatueOfLuberty
Summary: It had been three years since Shiro and Curtis had gotten married. Three years of being absolutely in love. Three years of waking up and falling asleep together with soft kisses and whispered "I love yous". Three years of seriously debating whether they should adopt now or wait until they're retired.Three years since Keith had disappeared.





	We Found Him

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! So first of all, thanks for clicking. Appreciate that tons. I really wanted to capture Shiro and Curtis' marriage while also not keeping them together in the end??? If that makes sense? Cuz whenever there's something about Shiro's marriage to Curtis, it's usually that they divorced after two years and you don't hear from Curtis at all, which I don't like because honestly he deserves better. He made Shiro happy, and in general he was a good guy. So, yeah.
> 
> Just so you all know, the wedding was on Arus in this story so all their allies could attend the ceremony. That would explain Keith's route.

It had been three years since Shiro and Curtis had gotten married. Three years of being absolutely in love. Three years of waking up and falling asleep together with soft kisses and whispered "I love yous". Three years of seriously debating whether they should adopt now or wait until they're retired.

Three years since Keith had disappeared.

Shiro missed him like crazy, but he refused to believe Keith was dead. Iverson and Curtis had tried more than once to have him plan a memorial service, but he wouldn't do it without a body. Iverson thought he was crazy. Curtis just looked at him with sad eyes. The other paladins had been searching other solar systems and galaxies with every lead they had.

Shiro was scrolling through his data pad in bed, looking at the different files and updates on the search. It was past midnight, and he had an early lecture, but he wasn't able to look at them all day, and he knew he wouldn't be able to fall asleep until he did.

"Takashi, go to sleep," Curtis groaned into his pillow.

"Sorry, babe. I just need to check these updates before I turn in for the night," Shiro replied.

That got Curtis to sit up. "Have they found Keith yet?"

"No, but it sounds like they're getting close. I just wanna see if anything sticks out enough to tell me where he could be."

"That's good! If he wants to come back, he can stay with us until he finds a job and a place," Curtis offered, leaning his head against the other man's back.

Shiro turned to him, shocked. "Really? You'd do that?"

"Of course, Takashi. Keith's your family, and I want him to always feel welcome here." Curtis pressed a kiss to his husband's shoulder.

Curtis had a theory as to why Keith disappeared, but he refused to tell Shiro. He said he didn't want it to confuse Shiro and change his view of the former red paladin, but Shiro assured him that nothing could stop him from caring about his best friend. Still, the theory was never spoken of.

"Let's meet up with the other paladins this weekend and see if we can help with the search. We've got nothing else planned," Curtis said.

Shiro frowned. "What about our anniversary picnic?"

"We can still do that, but this is more important. We can go to dinner or something next week."

"I love you."

Curtis pressed a kiss to his husband's lips and said, "I love you too. Couple more minutes, and then you really need to go to sleep."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

"So, I finally heard back from Krolia, and she said he hasn't heard from him since the wedding," Pidge stated. "However, she's also been on a mission for three deca-phoebs, so no one outside of the Blade of Marmora has spoken to her until now, and we already know that he had told Kolivan the day before he disappeared that he needed to step away from the team."

The seven of them were in the castle. They were all in the lounge, with Allura sitting on Lance's lap and Coran feeding the mice. Hunk was handing out his latest experiment as Pidge projected the screen of her data pad onto the wall. Shiro had sat with a spot next to him, but Curtis standing with Pidge, studying her notes and map. It always warmed Shiro's heart, seeing how serious Curtis was about finding Keith. He was worried his husband would get jealous of all the time spent on this, but he was the first to make suggestions on his whereabouts.

"Xonark didn't have any sign of him, but the Blidhians said that he went to their planet for fuel about six phoebs after he disappeared," Lance added. "He told them he was heading to Ymala for supplies."

Pidge marked Blidh on the map and circled Ymala as Allura said, "Lance and I will head to Ymala to see if he made it. Pidge and Hunk will continue to go through our notes and see if there's anything we missed and going over different possibles outcomes for a flight from Blidh to Ymala, Coran will contact some allies to see if he made any detours. Curtis and Shiro, I believe you have a picnic to go on.

"That can wait until later," Curtis brushed off.

"It's your anniversary," Hunk pointed out. "Don't you want to celebrate?"

"Of course we do—" Shiro started.

Curtis interrupted. "—but this is  _Keith_ we're talking about. It's also the anniversary of his disappearance, and that's more important."

"Curtis." The silver-haired man grabbed his husband's hand. "You know how badly I want to find him, but I want to at least celebrate a little bit. We've been married for  _three years._ That's something to celebrate."

Later, when they were sitting on a blanket and eating sandwiches on Arus, Shiro asked about Curtis' initial response to their picnic. The other man sighed, placing his food on the paper plate he had and leaning back, letting the sun shine on his face.

"I just want to find him. He means so much to you, to all of you. He always made sure to talk to me and be friendly, even when you weren't around. He's a really good guy, and he deserves to be found."

"What do you mean 'when I wasn't around?'" Shiro questioned.

Curtis snorted, but it wasn't condescending. "You know how Keith is when it comes to you, especially after the fight against Zarkon. He mourned the loss of you when you and the Holts were presumed dead, and it caused him to lash out at the Garrison and cost Iverson his eye. Mourning the loss of you  _again?_ I can't imagine how that felt. You were the only family he had for the longest time. You gave him the chances nobody else would've, ones that he really needed, ones that shaped him into the man he is today. He was afraid of losing you, so after we announced our engagement, he was more than just polite towards me. He was trying to accept that I wasn't going anywhere, but he made sure that I wasn't going to, I don't know,  _take_ you away, or something like that."

"How do you know all this?"

"He told me that he knew Adam didn't like him, and that when it seemed like you were going to get married, it was clear that any time before the wedding was all he had with you. Adam made it very clear that Keith wasn't allowed to have any contact with you except professional," he explained. "That's how I knew he accepted and trusted me."

"When was this?"

"When you had to cancel our lunch date at the last minute for a meeting with Iverson."

Shiro let out a sharp breath. "Jesus. I had no idea any of this happened."

"Keith's made sure to hide it very well. He's always put others before himself, so when it came to you, he accepted the consequences of what would happen to him to keep you happy, whether it was bottling it all up or cutting off contact with you." There was a pause before Curtis said, "I don't think he realized that no matter what happened if you and Adam got married, you wouldn't have been happy. If he ignored what Adam wanted, your relationship would've been strained, and you probably would've gotten a divorce. If he did what you wanted, you lost your best friend."

Shiro hesitated before asking, "Why do you think Keith left?"

"I can't tell you."

"Why not?"

Curtis sighed again. "Because if it's true, I would be taking that away from Keith, and I don't want to do that. He should be the one to tell you why he left, if he wants to."

"What if he's dead?" Shiro questioned quietly, his voice sounding broken.

"Then I'll tell you, but I don't think he's dead."

"Me neither...I love you."

The other man smiled. "I love you too."

 

 

 

 

"We've got something," Lance announced as he and Allura entered the bridge.

"What is it?" Pidge asked as she leaned forward in her seat.

"Keith told one of the Ymalans that he bought from about a festival that's held every twenty deca-phoebs," Allur stated.

"That doesn't really tell us anything," Hunk pointed out.

There was a pause, and then Coran exclaimed, "The Light Festival!"

"Yes!" Allura cried.

"What's the Light Festival?" Curtis questioned. Shiro was on the edge of his seat.

"The Light Festival is held on the planet Flandel to celebrate the meteor shower that shows up in their sky every twenty deca-phoebs. It showed up this year," Coran explained.

Pidge searched through her map before finding Flandel, about ten galaxies away as Shiro asked, "Coran, when was that festival held?"

"About a couple phoebs after he was on Ymala."

"He moved fast," Pidge stated. "He must have found a way to form a wormhole. But how?"

Curtis stated, "Keith's smart, even though he tends to act rashly. It wouldn't surprise me if he figured it out or found somebody to help him."

"Where are you going?" Shiro mumbled under his breath, his eyes locked on Pidge's holographic map. It didn't answer.

* * *

 Shiro and Curtis eventually had to go back to Earth and return to their jobs. Shiro had to throw together teaching plans the night before his lectures at the Garrison. He usually created them each weekend, but with the search for Keith, it had escaped his mind until late Sunday night. Curtis tried to help with everything he could, but with his area of expertise being more narrowed than Shiro's it was difficult, but the time spent together was nice.

In between lectures at the Garrison, Iverson showed up in Shiro's office, an unreadable expression on his face. Then again, every expression was hard to read when he wasn't smiling or seething. He sat down and waited for Shiro to ask, but Shiro wouldn't give in.

"How was your anniversary?" he finally asked.

Shiro put his pen down. He knew this wasn't why Iverson was here. "It was good. We had a little picnic and enjoyed each other's company."

"Was that before or after you searched for Keith?"

 _There it was._ "It was a little break from it. The others had jobs to do, but they believed there was nothing for us, so they let us celebrate a little. We'll be going to dinner on Wednesday to really enjoy being married for three years."

"Any leads?"

"We found out he moved through ten galaxies within two months, so he either has a vehicle that can create wormholes, or he has somebody helping him," Shiro explained. "There's nothing hinting to a death, if that's what you're really asking."

"I just think you're wasting your time. It's been three years. It's time to move on," Iverson argued.

"With all due respect, sir, there is no such thing as wasting my time when it comes to Keith. I have never given up on him, and I'm not changing that anytime soon."

Iverson huffed and stormed out, knowing there was no way he was going to change Shiro's mind. With a smile, Shiro returned to grading papers until it was time for his next lecture.

It was difficult, having everyone tell him that there was no point in searching the galaxies for Keith, that he was dead. He never gave up because  _Keith_ never gave up every time Shiro went missing. Hell, Shiro had been  _dead_ , and Keith hadn't stopped. When Shiro and the Holts went missing from Kerberos, the Garrison gave up on finding them. They declared him dead. Shiro wasn't about to let that happen with Keith. He deserved better.

When Shiro had been captured by the Galra, all he thought about was returning to Keith. He and Adam had broken up when he chose the Kerberos mission over their relationship, so Keith was the only family he had. There was nothing else for him on Earth, but his best friend was the only motivation he had to survive. He couldn't give up on Keith. He  _couldn't._

At the end of the day. Shiro's data pad dinged with an update from the other paladins. Curtis looked over his shoulders as they read the mission, their brows furrowed in confusion.

_Allura and Coran went to Flandel. They were told that Keith said he was on a mission with the Blade, so he couldn't say where he was going. They said he flew North, which means he either doubled back, or they're covering for him. We'll let you know what we find out. -Pidge_

"Do you think he actually doubled back?" Curtis asked as they walked to the parking lot.

"It's possible. He could've done it to throw us off his tracks. Flying North would change the route we have mapped out. It would be almost impossible to predict where he was going next," Shiro told him. "There's something about the route that looks familiar, though."

He pulled up the map on his data pad and studied the points Pidge had created. Arus was at the bottom of the map, and each point was moving up and towards the left. He locked the screen and turned the pad around, hoping to find something. When he got it on the right side, it hit him.

"It's the wavelength," he mumbled.

"What?" Curtis stopped walking.

"When Keith and the others rescued me from quarantine, Hunk had told us about reading Pidge's diary. There were a bunch of numbers that the Galra Empire were looking for that lined up like a Fraunhofer line. The wavelength was in the shape of the mountains and caves Keith was drawn to where we eventually found the Blue Lion. His route is in the exact same shape as what Hunk drew," Shiro explained. "I need to call Pidge and let her know."

They headed to the car as Shiro tried to call Pidge on his data pad. It didn't go through the first two times, but on the third, she finally picked up. There were dark circles under her eyes, and she was wearing the same clothes from yesterday. She clearly hadn't slept last night in favor of continuing her research.

"What's up?" she asked through a yawn.

"Pidge, the Fraunhofer line," Shiro stated.

"What?"

"The  _Fraunhofer line._ "

"The wavelength!" Hunk shouted, appearing on the screen. "The one I drew!"

"What are you talking about?" she questioned.

"The one that looks like the mountains," Curtis stated. "Shiro just told me about when you guys rescued him and found the Blue Lion. He mentioned the Fraunhofer line. The route Keith is taking is in the same shape."

 "I can't even remember what it looks like," Pidge said, a deep frown on her face.

"I think the paper is still at the shack. I'll grab it tomorrow morning before heading to work," Shiro promised.

"Why not grab it now?" Curtis asked.

The black paladin turned his attention to the other man. "Are you sure?"

"We were just gonna go home and eat dinner. A little delay doesn't hurt."

"Okay. Pidge, I'll send you a picture as soon as I can." And with that, the call ended.

Later that night, as the couple was getting ready for bed, Curtis couldn't help but wonder what would happen if they found Keith, alive. Would Shiro be upset that his best friend left? Would Keith be upset that he was found? Would the truth behind Keith's disappearance ever be revealed? He expected heartbreak, but he just didn't know whose heart he would help mend.

"You okay?" Shiro asked as they crawled into bed.

"Yeah, just thinking about Keith," Curtis admitted. "I hope he's okay."

"I do, too, but let's not think about that right now." Shiro leaned in and started kissing his lover's neck. Curtis moaned and leaned into it. "I love you so much."

"I love you too, Takashi. More than anything."

* * *

The morning of Keith's birthday, Curtis woke up to an empty bed. He wasn't surprised, but it was still warm, which meant Shiro was somewhere in the house. Hearing off-key singing coming from downstairs, Curtis got out of bed and walked to the kitchen. Shiro's back was to him, and he was singing "Happy Birthday" quietly, not knowing his husband was behind him.

"Happy birthday, Keith," Shiro said softly, and he blew out the single candle in the cupcake he picked up from the local bakery the night before. "I can't believe you're twenty-five. It feels like I was bailing you out of juvie not too long ago. I miss you. A lot. I wish I could at least see you one more time, so I could say a proper goodbye. I don't want to say goodbye at all, but if that's what I could get, I would take it in a heartbeat.

"God, Keith, why haven't you talked to any of us? I know it was difficult after I left for Atlas, but I thought we were friends. Curtis told me about how you were worried about me abandoning you. But you—you—" His voice cracked, and Curtis stepped forward, wrapping his arms around the love of his life. Shiro let out a choked sob, grasping Curtis' arm with his artificial hand. There were tears streaming down his face as his body convulsed with every wail and whimper.

It was hard for Shiro to talk about exactly how much this had affected him. He would shut down every time somebody would stray away from the facts of his disappearance and the search and start asking him how he was doing. Curtis and the other paladins knew, but they also knew that it was better to leave it alone until he was comfortable speaking of it. It was something they agreed he needed to bring up, because that's the only way he would talk about it.

"We're gonna find him," Curtis mumbled as they sunk to the floor. "I promise we'll find him."

"Why did he leave me?" Shiro sobbed. Curtis' heart shattered at how  _broken_ he sounded. "He was the only family I had for so long.  _Why did he leave?"_

"I don't know, baby. I don't know." Curtis rocked them back in forth, trying to get Shiro to calm down. It couldn't continue like this. Keith needed to be found soon.

It was about ten minutes before Shiro was sniffling, wiping the tears off his face. He rested his head on Curtis' shoulder and let out a heavy sigh. He felt he had to say something, but he wasn't sure what. He hadn't cried like that in front of anybody since he had celebrated Keith's twenty-second birthday, a couple months after he had disappeared. Other than crying in the shower when he was home alone, he'd been bottling it up. It wasn't healthy, but he had to stay strong for the people in his life. It's what he was supposed to do.

"You have Dr. Reynolds today, right?" Curtis asked. Shiro nodded. "I think you should tell her about Keith."

Dr. Reynolds was a therapist. Shiro had been seeing her for about four years, dealing with the PTSD he had from being a prisoner in the Galra Empire, and then his memories being stuck in the Black Lion. She was a short woman, little older than him, and somebody who would call him out on his bullshit whenever he tried to shrug off a flashback.

"She knows," he lied.

"Takashi Shirogane, I know that's false. I think it will help, talking to her about it. She doesn't have any emotional link to his disappearance, but she knows you well enough to help."

Shiro sighed. "Maybe."

When Shiro left for his appointment, Curtis made a cup of tea and sat on the couch, letting his shoulders sag as he finally relaxed. He knew today was going to be hard, but he didn't know it would've started the way it did. He hoped it would get better at Dr. Reynolds', but he had no idea if Shiro would actually open up about what happened.

There was a sudden flash in the other room, and Kosmo trotted out. He jumped onto the couch and lied in Curtis' lap, letting out a huff when the man started petting him. Krolia walked in and collapsed into the armchair. It was clear she hadn't slept, probably too busy worried about Keith as the hours turned into minutes before it was his birthday.

"How's he doing?" she asked.

"Broke down this morning. He bought a cupcake and sang happy birthday before blowing out a candle," Curtis stated. "He feels like he did something that made Keith leave."

Krolia sat up. "Keith would  _never_ abandon that man. They've been through too much."

"Hasn't he, though?" Curtis took a sip of his tea to think about what he wanted to say. "It's been made pretty clear that Keith left on his own volition, and he hasn't tried contacting anybody. If he's not dead, he's probably living a life where he pretends he doesn't know any of you guys. He's trying to erase his past. You know I don't mean to speak ill of your son, but my husband was trying to hold back his sobs because there was too much emotion for him to handle. I had to rock him back and forth like a baby to get him to calm down. He's absolutely  _heartbroken_ that somebody who he shared that kind of bond with just left and hasn't talked to him in three years."

She sighed and leaned on her elbows, her head hanging between her shoulders. "I know.  _Shit,_ I know. I just don't want to believe that Keith would actually leave everyone like that. It just doesn't make sense."

"It will once we find him."

"You think he'll tell us?"

Curtis snorted. "I'm not giving him a choice."

He and Krolia talked about her training until Shiro came home. He was clearly surprised to see her and Kosmo, but Curtis could tell that his shoulders looked a little lighter. She told them about her mission as they ate lunch, and then she went with Shiro to run errands while Curtis did some chores around the house. When it was time to make dinner, she told them to sit on the porch, that she would take care of the food. It was nice, Shiro getting to curl an arm around his husband and swaying back and forth on their porch swing as the sun set. Kosmo was running around their yard, chasing the birds with no intention of catching any.

Having Krolia here had obviously helped Shiro a lot, but Curtis was still worried. The way that Shiro had acted that morning—it was terrifying. He'd been hiding it for so long. How much worse was he than he'd been letting on for the past three years? Curtis didn't want to think about Shiro doing something, but after this morning, he couldn't help but worry his husband was a danger to himself.

"Takashi, if you were afraid you were going to hurt yourself...you'd tell me, right?"

Shiro looked over, a frown on his face. "Where is this coming from?"

"Don't deflect," Curtis scolded lightly.

"Of course I would. Even if there was a chance I wouldn't, I signed a paper with Dr. Reynolds that gives her permission to say something to you if she feels it's necessary. Now, answer my question."

He sighed. "What happened this morning—I haven't seen you like that in three years. I can't help but worry you're hurting more than you're letting on."

Shiro kissed the side of his head and said, "I didn't mean to scare. It's just—he's  _twenty-five_. He was almost twenty-two when he—it just hit me really hard that I haven't seen or heard from him in so long."

"I just don't want to lose you."

"You won't. I'm not going anywhere."

The next morning, they woke up to banging on their front door. Kosmo was spinning in excitement. Krolia had left him behind, stating that she had to go on another mission and that Kosmo deserved more than being cooped up in a spacecraft. They stumbled down the stairs and opened the door to the other paladins standing there, panting as if they'd run across town. Considering where they were allowed to land the castle, they probably did.

"What's going on?" Shiro asked.

Hunk looked up, took a deep breath, and said, "We found him."

* * *

Kosmo zapped them to an empty alley in Boston. Shiro made sure the collar and leash were secure before he and Curtis let go of his fur. The others had to stay behind for a rescue mission in a system where the star was about to explode. They made them promise to update them as soon as they could. Curtis typed in the address Pidge gave them, and they were soon standing in front of a small café a few blocks away from where they arrived. The bell above the door jingled as they stepped inside, and their eyes locked on what was in front of them.

Moving behind the counter with boxes was a man with platinum-blond hair. It was cut in an Ivy-League style. His eyebrows were dark, and he had a few tattoos on his arms, but what really caught their attention was the familiar scar on his right cheek.

"Rose, when's that order coming in?" he called out, his voice deep and gravelly.

"Tomorrow morning, which is why you're coming in an hour before we open," an older woman said as she cleaned a table. Besides them, the place was empty.

The teenage girl that was standing at the register had wide eyes as she stared at the couple that had just walked in. She hits the man's upper arm. When he turned to her, she pointed. He looked over and froze at some of the people that he'd tried and failed to forget for the past three years. The wolf whined but didn't dare move.

"Keith?" Shiro said quietly.

"Shiro. Curtis. What can I get you?

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me [here](http://tkrug47.tumblr.com/) on Tumblr!


End file.
